This invention relates generally to sports training apparatus. Specifically, the present invention is a training club, such as a bat, club, racket, or the like, employing multiple internal weights used in combination.
The use of various training clubs is well known, and many designs and configurations have heretofore been employed to increase a player""s strength and club speed. The increased club speed achieves the desired result of increasing the distance a ball will travel when struck. This result is advantageous in many sports including baseball, softball, golf, and the like.
For example, many methods and devices have been invented to assist a player in increasing baseball bat speed. Among these are xe2x80x9cdoughnutxe2x80x9d weights, which derive their name from their doughnut shape. Doughnut weights slide over the knob end of a bat and fit snugly around the barrel portion of the bat. The ball player then swings the weighted bat to increase strength during practice and to warm up during a game. However, one drawback of the doughnut weight is that the resultant swing motion can be unnatural because the position of the weight may not be adjusted along the length of the barrel portion of the bat. That is, rather than resting at a selected position along the barrel of the bat, the doughnut weight rests where the interior hole of the weight bears against the tapered barrel. Moreover, the external location of the weight near or on the barrel prevents the ball player from hitting balls with the weighted bat. Furthermore, doughnut weights have a tendency to become jammed on the bat and can be difficult to remove. In fact, in many instances a jammed weight can damage the bat.
Similarly, other designs employ weights either disposed on the outside of the barrel portion of a baseball bat (Wales, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,877) or extending axially from the knob portion of the bat (Nolan, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,674,138 and 5,741,193). Again, the inability to adjust the location of the weights in these designs produces an unnatural swing motion.
Yet another design incorporates internal weights into the barrel of the sports club. For example, the design disclosed in Rewolinski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,421, includes a single weight disposed on a stem in the barrel portion of the bat. The stem and weight are received in an axial sleeve in the end portion of the bat. Therefore, a ball player cannot use weights in combination to enhance training, and thus, one disadvantage of the Rewolinski design is that it cannot accommodate more than one weight at a time. Rather, a player must remove the weight currently disposed in the bat before inserting a different weight, which limits the selection of total weight that can be disposed in the bat at any given time.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved training bat with a weighting system which permits disposing multiple weights in the bat simultaneously as training requires. These and other advantages will be provided by the training bat set forth in this patent application.
The present invention is a training sports club. The club of the present invention includes a handle and a striking portion. The club take many forms including that of a baseball bat, softball bat, golf club, racket, or the like. Thus, for example, if the club takes the form of a baseball bat, the striking portion is the barrel of the bat; if the club takes the form of a golf club, the striking portion is the club head; and so forth.
The striking portion includes a hollow cavity of fixed length formed therein. The cavity is accessible through an opening. A removable cap for closing the opening may be provided in an optional embodiment. The cap may be lockable, such as through locking pins disposed on the cap engaging slots proximate the cavity.
A plurality of removable nestable weights are provided. The weights may be selectively disposed in the cavity in combination. In one optional embodiment, the weights are shaped with a chamber therein such that each successive weight may nest inside the preceding weight. In an alternate embodiment, the weights are stackable such that the weights may be selectively combined to comprise a desired weight.
Means for removably fixing the weights at any selected location along the length of the cavity are also provided. For example, the positioning means could include a rod disposed in the cavity about which the weights may be positioned in nesting fashion, a plurality of fixed or removable supports supporting at least a portion of the perimeter of the weights, or the like. Optionally, the training club further includes means, such as a velocimeter, accelerometer, or the like, for measuring the speed of the club when swung.
In one example of the present invention, the sports club could be in the form of a baseball bat. In such an embodiment, the barrel portion of the bat has a hollow cavity and an opening for accessing the cavity. A support is disposed in the cavity. A first weight shaped to removably nest within the cavity may be removably engaged to the support such as a rod. In this fashion, the first weight may be secured at a selected location along the length of the cavity. The first weight includes a chamber therein to receive at least a second weight. In an optional embodiment, a cap is provided for closing the opening so that the weights may be fixedly secured inside the barrel cavity. In an embodiment including a cap, the support may be secured to the cap so that it may be removed from the cavity.
Optionally, the opening for accessing the cavity is located at the end of the barrel portion of the bat. The weights may optionally be cylindrical or frustoconical in shape. In an optional embodiment, the means for closing the opening comprises a cap which can be attached to the barrel portion with threads, bayonet connectors, locking pins, or other similar structure.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the training bat further comprises a means such as a velocimeter, accelerometer, or the like, for measuring the speed of the bat when swung. Optionally, the measuring means would include a means for displaying the speed of the bat measured by the measuring means. In one embodiment, the display means would continue to display the highest speed measured until the ball player reset the display means.
In an embodiment in which the sports club takes the form of a golf club, the club head includes a hollow cavity of fixed length formed therein and an opening for accessing the cavity. Optionally, a cap is provided to close the opening. Optionally, the cap may be locking such as through locking pins or the like.
A support is disposed within the cavity. The support may take many forms including support shelves engaging the perimeter of the weights. A first weight shaped to removably nest within the cavity is engaged to the support such that the first weight is securely positioned at a selected location along the length of the cavity. A second weight is also provided that may also be engaged to the support in combination with the first weight. As above, means, such as an accelerometer, velocimeter, or the like, may be provided to measure the speed of the club when swung.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sports club that may receive weights in combination for sports training purposes.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.